Senegal Railways - The Dakar–Niger Railway

Senegal has 906 km of railway at 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) gauge. This is part of the Dakar-Niger Railway which crosses the border to Mali. 

Senegal Rail Station Clock Tower

The Dakar–Niger Railway connects Dakar, (Senegal) to Koulikoro, (Mali). It serves many cities in Senegal (including Thiès) and Mali (including Kayes, Kita, Kati, Bamako). The line covers a course of 1,287 km of which 641 km lies in Mali.

 Construction work on the Dakar–Niger Railway began at the end of the 19th century under the French general Gallieni, commander of French Sudan.

The railroad connected the Niger River with the port of Dakar, allowing the transport of raw materials across the globe. The line was completed at the beginning of the 20th century, the Kayes-Koulikoro section being inaugurated in 1904, but the final section of line did not open until 1924.

The difficulties of management and the lack of investment have led to a degradation of the infrastructure and rolling stock and numerous delays. In Senegal the maximum speed of the trains has in many places been limited to 20 km/h due to the bad state of the tracks. In October 2003, Senegal and Mali entrusted the management of the network to the Transrail consortium.

In spite of Transrail's obligation to maintain a passenger service, Transrail intends to concentrate on the transport of goods. Many stations have been closed and the numbers of connections reduced, creating difficulties for isolated communities. Currently there are no passenger trains running between Kayes and Thies.Transrail was bought in 2007 by the Belgian company Vecturis

For more information please visit : Beginner's guide to Train travel in Senegal & Mali 


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